


Evening Tea

by queenowl



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Comfort, Friendship, Other, Romance, You can interpret freely actually
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-02-26 00:14:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21734353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/queenowl/pseuds/queenowl
Summary: When a nightmare awakens you, you seek out comfort, receiving it from a most unexpected source...
Relationships: Dedue Molinaro/Reader
Comments: 8
Kudos: 73





	Evening Tea

You wake up with a gasp, the nightmares still on the fringes of your imagination as you sit up in the massive bed of your dormitory. the recent battles have been haunting you and try as you might, each night seems that your sleep is interrupted with visions of the day by your own hand. It is war, you know, and yet...

Fear makes your knees shake with an intensity you cannot calm no matter whVat you try.

So you stop trying.

Dabbing the sweat off your brow with the edge of your blanket, you rest your eyes for a moment, hoping to calm your stuttering heartbeat. Instead, images from those recent dreams prompt you to keep your eyes open. You kick off the layers of blankets and timidly push open the double doors, glancing around yourself as you step out of the room and into the open courtyard.

Right away, cool air brushes against your skin, making you shiver for an altogether different reason. The monastery bell tolls to announce that it is half-past but you can only imagine half-past what as you pass the other student dormitories, making your way towards the greenhouse en route to the dining hall. You don't mean to but as you pass by the flower-filled glass walls, your feet slow down, eyes trailing the building.

There is where you first saw him, so many years ago. A simpler time without war. You'd only been trying to hide from your sword's study partner and thought you'd be safest in the greenhouse... only to be seen by the one student you'd forgotten often takes vigil there.

All hope is lost, you thought as he made eye contact, just briefly, as you hide behind the largest plant you could find. He knew precisely where you were and yet...

And yet...

_"Have you seen a student come in here, about this big and with--" Your pursuer's voice is clearly irritated. And as if to contrast, Dedue Molinaro's reply washes over you like the waves of the sea._

_"The greenhouse has been rather quiet." And then a pause. "Until your arrival, that is."_

_An audible scoff. An annoyed grumble. Then... a few moment later, a low voice._

_"You can come out now, if you wish."_

Why didn't he just say where you were? You shiver at the memory and hug yourself tighter as you bound up the stairs to enter the dining hall.

 _That was so long ago..._ How things have changed.

Stepping up the final step, you approach the double doors. There's something about the dining hall in particular that draws you in with its high ceiling, woody scent and the glow of flickering candles. It's comforting, especially without the noise of guests to fill it. You quietly open the door to slip inside but to your surprise, discover that you are not the only one seemingly drawn to the hollow space that night. A large figure stands in the kitchen, back towards you as he faces the stove.

First in your past, now in your present.

Perhaps it is wishful thinking on your part, but it almost feels like a dream to contrast the nightmare.

"Dedue?" You draw closer, trying to keep your voice to a whisper in the hopes that he will not hear the fact that it is still shaking. The moment you call his name, he turns towards the sound of your voice. Right then, you see that he has placed a kettle on the stovetop surface.

A strange sense of relief washes over you. _This is not just another dream, preparing to shift into foreboding darkness._

"Ah. It's you. I'm surprised to see you awake at this hour." There is a steadiness in his voice that does not at all seem surprised--then, as he notes your expression, his eyebrows pinch together, the corners of his lips tilting imperceptibly downward. "Has something happened?" Your body shivers involuntarily.

"Nightmare."

He nods slowly in reply. "It seems that in this place, death seems to follow no matter what direction we tread. I am not surprised that your dreams are not safe either. If you wish to... please," he gestures towards the table, "take a seat."

You pull out the wooden chair, wincing as it scrapes against the stone floor but Dedue doesn't react at all, utterly unbothered by the sound. Instead, he takes a moment to open a cabinet and pull out another mug, placing it beside his own. "I hope you enjoy chamomile tea. It is his Majesty's favorite blend, but it is excellent for sleeping." 

You glance at him, ruefully, hugging and around yourself. "I'm not sure I could drink from the king's cup," you reply hesitantly, but Dedue glances at you reassuringly.

"He is plagued with similar monsters, so I'm certain he would not be displeased if I used it for such an honorable cause." You smile slowly, gratefully as, nodding firmly, he returns your gaze. True, a smile does not grace his own lips, but his eyes carry the warmth of words he does not say.

Dedue almost turns back towards the stove when, for a moment, his eyes catch notice of your bare, sleeveless shoulders. It seems for the first time that he notices your state of undress--or rather the fact that you have left your room without warm clothing. The corners of his lips tilt downwards.

"Are you not chilled?" Before you can reply, he is already unwrapping the massive yards of cloth from around his body. As he holds out the blue woven piece, you hold up your hands in protest.

"Dedue, I... I couldn't--" But he will not take no for an answer.

"I couldn't allow you to be cold. Not when I am rather used to this weather and I am closer to the fire." He drapes it over your head, then wraps it firmly around your shoulders, carefully tucking you in each corner. The fabric falls too low over your eyes, so Dedue carefully folds it back with gentle fingers, his hands lightly grazing against your cheeks and forehead as he pushes the cloth back. "Does that help any?"

The faint smell of smoke and rich spices, the clean, almost oaken scent thickly set into the cloth as clear as the red and beige bands dyed in the fabric... Each individual factor cannot convey the warmth your heart feels over being wrapped in the man of Duscur's signature scarf.

You've seen this scarf secured around his shoulders and at times, wondered on its warmth, but you need not to any more. It envelopes your body wholly like a blanket, already warmed in part by Dedue's own body heat.

"A bit," you reply quietly, resisting the urge to burrow your nose into the seemingly handwoven fabric. He stares down at you severely before the corner of his mouth quirks up for just the briefest of moments. If he were anyone else, you'd think he was... well, laughing at you--or at the very least, amused by something you did. "What?"

"It's just that... you look like a swaddled child," he explains quickly, turning back towards tending the fire.

"Well, you look like--" You try to retort, looking him over for something to pick on, but the loose shift adorning him looks nothing short of complimentary.

The speechlessness increases in severity as he reaches for an upper cabinet to retrieve a pot of honey, your brain pausing to record the flex of his back muscles rippling beneath the linen he wears. Placing the small container on the table, Dedue looks over his shoulder towards your seat at the counter, his expression puzzled at your abrupt silence.

"I look like...?" He prompts you curiously but your words fall flat. You clear your throat, eyelids blinking rapidly as you try not to stop staring quite so obviously.

"A... um, tree?"

Instead of laughing or rejecting the notion, Dedue muses over it with an unexpectedly serious expression. "I suppose there could be worse comparisons," he relents graciously.

You decide to help, reaching for the small honey pot and its smaller spoon. "How much did you want?"

"Two spoonfuls is fine." You dollop a small amount of honey in both cups, steadily working in unison as he turns with the pot to pour the hot water, glancing at you warily. "It's hot. Please be careful."

"Got it." You lean away from the table, and when the pouring is complete, Dedue relaxes and turns around to look at you. His eyes, however, end up with their gaze glued to your hands instead. "Dedue?"

He clears his throat. "Listen. I... do not wish to presume on your personal space, however..." Dedue sits across from you, his large body dwarfing the bench as he carefully observes your slightly quivering fingers grasping the tea cup as best they can. A few quiet moments pass when he carefully, deliberately places his hand against your wrist to stay it. Immediately, the clinking stops as he comments quietly. "Are you going to be able to fall back asleep?"

You hesitate. "Normally, I can't, no," you relent. "So probably not."

He crosses his arms, his straightening back bringing him to his full height.

"When my sister was young, she was often comforted by closeness. That is to say... if you wish for your hand to be held, I have no qualms about sitting at your bedside. But only if you wish it." He glances around himself carefully in the darkness of the monastery kitchen. "True," he begins slowly, "we would be alone, but I am still a man of Duscur. My touch is a burden I do not wish to impress upon you." He gently blows on his own tea. "But you have saved the lives of many during these last, harrowing battles, and I, like many of our fellow soldiers, am in your debt. If it may assist, I offer it willingly."

You swallow. In all honesty, you're not sure if holding his hand will help or not, but... You glance down at the fingers on top of yours, large and brown and scarred and warm, then drag your gaze upward to meet steely green eyes that are warmer still. "Thank you. I gratefully accept."

**Author's Note:**

> This was a request from Twitter user [@luvcvnt](https://twitter.com/luvcvnt)! The requester wanted Dedue to be comforting and so voilà! I hope if anyone's having a rough day, they can imagine being wrapped up in Dedue's scarf with tea made by his hands.


End file.
